The CEO'S syndrome

CHAPTER FIVE: Mistakes and consequences.

"Were you able to persuade him?", Mr Benjamin asked as he sliced his steak with his knife.

"Maybe. Maybe not. I cannot tell what that boy thinks in his head", Hilda replied to her husband's question.

Mr Benjamin chuckled and wiped his mouth clean before sitting in a more relaxed position.

"We did this to him. We shouldn't have married so soon. Maybe we rushed things too much", He stated the obvious.

Hilda got married to her lover, immediately the divorce procedures with her former husband were concluded. She did not think for a second, the pain her decision inflicted on her poor son.

"Psst. He is no longer a child. We made decisions that gave him the life he is living today. Tomorrow, he will be making decisions that might be tougher. He has to grow up"

Hilda grumbled before taking a sip from her drink. 

Mr Benjamin looked at his wife in pure amusement. Even though they are fifteen years older now, she still had the same effect on him. With those green eyes that secretly called to him, whenever they were upon him. Her beautiful pink lips would forever entice him to draw nearer and the hourglass figure, she managed to maintain all these years. He teased her, "You are not this blunt around him".

She wrinkled her nose in response and hand-fed him a berry. 

He savored the juicy taste and commented, "I wish he would treat me the way he at least treats you. He doesn't even speak to me"

She rolled her eyes and rang the bell for the staff to clean the table, they had finished eating.

"Let's not spend the rest of our lives talking about our mistakes, as parents", she chastised as she helped him rise up.

"Come, there's this medicinal tea I came across. The seller said it's effective for weak joints", she said happily as she led him to the garden.

Hilda helped him sit in a lounge. She arranged pillows around him and proceeded to tell more of the tea advantage and how effective it works before she served the tea to her husband.

Mr Benjamin suffered from Osteoarthritis. He was diagnosed last year and was advised to stop working. He needed all the rest he could get.

His wife, who is literally jobless but spends her husband's wealth, took it upon herself to care for him personally. 

Unlike her first marriage, she loves Mr Benjamin. Afterall, he was her secret lover before she married her former husband.

Hilda was born literally into old money. Her parents were very rich and friends to Mr Benjamin's parents. Their children grew up to be friends and eventually lovers.

At that time, she met her first husband at a party but was not attracted to him. She enjoyed his company like a friend would and he liked to tease her a lot. James was a good friend to her.

When her parents died in an accident and her uncle denied her of her right as heir, she ran to Mr Benjamin's parents for help. Mr Benjamin's parents would not allow her around their son because she had lost all the wealth, she was promising if she married their son. She became crestfallen.

James was with her throughout, he took care of her and consoled her. He provided for her and helped her raise funds to start a little business.

Later on, she got used to having him around and accepted his feelings for her, when he told her. They got married afterwards. He was rich and Hilda could not think of a life without money, she instantly accepted his proposal.

Old habits die hard, she kept ties with her lover. She still loved him and nothing could change that. Her marriage did not stop her from seeing Mr Benjamin. 

She secretly conceived Joseph and that was enough for Mr Benjamin to stay faithful to her.

He refused to marry anyone else and patiently waited for his parents to pass away. 

When his parents passed away, he was free to choose the woman he wanted to spend the rest of his life with. He told Hilda to leave her husband and come back to him. He wanted things to be the way they were before the death of her parents.

He told her he wanted to meet his son and he does not like the idea of his son bearing the name of another man. He wanted to be part of his child's life. Hilda scolded him and promised to let Joseph know of his biological father, only if Mr Benjamin would behave himself. She would bring Joseph to him when the time was right. 

Joseph met his biological father when he was ten years old. Mr Benjamin was beyond livid when Hilda introduced him as her brother but he was happy as the young boy liked the idea of having an uncle.

He bought gifts for his son and got to spend time with his son under the pretense of being an uncle.

"Come on, it's time for your bath", Hilda announced as she took the empty cup from her husband and led him out of the garden.

Settling in the warm water and listening to some classic music play, Mr Benjamin bobbed his head sideways as he reveled in the comfort, the water supplied.

After his bath, he was nicely tucked in bed when he heard his phone beeped.

Retrieving it from the side table, he opened the new notification.

It was a message from his investigator recounting the manner his son spent his weekend;

Good day Sir, Your son was spotted on Friday night at a club, where he did the usual and on Sunday evening as well. He left both parties thoroughly wasted.

With all due respect Sir, I offer my candid advice. I think your son needs therapy as he is slowly turning himself into some drug addict. With the way he takes all that stuff, one would wonder how he still does so well at the company in the week days. 

Once again, it is not in my place to say but the boy needs help.

He shook his head in disappointment. He did this to his son, due to his desperation for Hilda, he ruined his son in the process.

He would never forgive himself for it. He would never be free from guilt. Never.